India Oven — Restaurant in San Antonio

I recently visited India Oven Restaurant in San Antonio with my husband and two friends, and overall, it was a delightful experience. The restaurant specializes in Indian cuisine, and we had the opportunity to try spinach pakora, chicken biriyani, and lamb biriyani.

Upon entering the restaurant, we were warmly greeted by the staff who promptly showed us to our table. To start off, they kindly served us complimentary papadum along with two types of chutney: mint and tamarind. The mint chutney had a pleasant kick of spiciness, which I enjoyed, while the tamarind chutney offered a tangy and sweet flavor. Both chutneys were delicious.

We began with the spinach pakora, and we were pleased with the generous portion size. The pakoras were perfectly crispy. The accompanying chutney complemented the pakoras well, enhancing their taste even further.

Next up were the chicken biriyani and lamb biriyani. I specifically requested my biriyani to be spicy, opting for a spice level of 8. The waiter seemed surprised by my choice but accommodated my request. ĹThe biriyanis were excellently prepared, with tender meat and fragrant rice, and I thoroughly enjoyed them.

One aspect that pleasantly surprised me was the manager, or perhaps one of the owners, along with another staff member, who came to our table to inquire about our dining experience. This level of personal attention is not always common in Indian restaurants, and it showed that they genuinely cared about the satisfaction of their customers.

However, I must mention one issue that prevented me from giving a full five-star rating to India Oven. They made a mistake with the bills, as they didn't inquire about our interest in dessert before promptly presenting the check. Additionally, they failed to ask if we wanted separate bills or one combined bill, and they seemed a bit rushed. Although this was a minor inconvenience, it did affect our overall impression of the service.

Despite this small hiccup, our experience at India Oven Restaurant was highly enjoyable. The food was delicious, the atmosphere was pleasant, and the staff was generally attentive and friendly. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to others who are looking for authentic Indian cuisine in...

After searching the World Wide Web for some Indian food, which seems to be of high standards, I stumbled across India Oven. As we traversed the roads of San Antonio in search of this Oven from India, we, in our eyes, imagined the restaurant to look nice and high quality. Unfortunately the Oven was option C: option not listed. The restaurant look like a sweatshop or a laundromat in the corner of some janky complex. The beige color was a display of the mediocrity of the food and atmosphere of the restaurant. I walked in, trusting myself to give the Oven a chance. I sat down with my family, staring at the 4/~10 tubs of vegetarian food. Not wanting to consume the buffet food fried by an oil of an unknown origin, I set my gaze on the menu, while my parents chose to eat from the buffet. My brother and I chose to order the gobi Manchurian, something with flavor in this dreadful atmosphere. And to help with that, I ordered a mango lassi. The mango lassi and the Manchurian were good, but perhaps the gobi could have been less rock-like. The lassi seems like you get a good amount for your money, until you pour it into a plastic cup and see that it only fills half way. The bland brickyard colored walls and the dim atmosphere seem to have leeched into the buffet food. I make this claim because when my parents and grandmother brought their plates to the table, I visibly saw regret, anxiety, and disappointment in my mothers face. As she ate the spring rolls, I saw disgust and actual pain in her face, stating, “I don’t know what quality of oil they used to fry the food in, but it is causing my throat to hurt.” My grandmother ate the spring rolls, and she too felt the desperation to set back time and never pick them up. Now, my mother must live with throat pain from simply consuming a spring roll, and my father must live with an unreasonably high bill, with the restaurant charging a whopping $14.99 per buffet plate for pure uninspired, bog-standard, tolerable food. The Oven from India was overall an experience...

I have lunch very often at India Oven and sometimes dinner and had to leave a review after seeing all these other reviews.

When you walk in, it may take a moment (just a moment) to be seated but that's not out of the ordinary at all. I have never ever waited more than a few minutes, not even on mother's day.

The wait staff share responsibilities for all of the tables. There isn't just one person for each table. And every single person in that establishment is so kind and attentive. It may get a little busy in there at times but that happens at all restaurants so please allow them some grace if they don't get to you instantly.

I used to live in Houston and worked off 59& Hillcroft so I've had a lot of Indian food and India Oven is amazing food y'all. So, so flavorful and the portions are so generous.

I saw one review say that they only got one shrimp on their plate and I just can't believe that could be true. I get the shrimp biryani sometimes and it has plenty of shrimp. There's not one dish that I've gotten and thought "sheesh, this is kind of skimpy."

As for the other review saying the staff wouldn't seat them at 10 pm ....... please understand that the staff are human too, they want to go home at the end of the day to rest as well. Being seated 30 minutes before closing time is just so inconsiderate. Finding somewhere else that can cater to your late night needs isn't hard.

If you're unsure of what to order, just ask any of the staff. They'll be happy to explain things and help you out.

Overall, India Oven is 10/10 in my book and I am happy to continue bringing my friends, family and coworkers there...